Slow-Cooker Brat and Sauerkraut Soup

Potatoes, onion, sauerkraut and brats pack in the German flavor in this homey slow-cooker soup. Try with Whole Wheat Pretzel Rolls; the soft pretzels' chewy, brown exterior comes from being boiled in an alkaline solution—the 1/4 cup baking soda in the water isn't a typo!

Southwest Corn Pudding

Buttery onions, cheddar and green chilies lace our stuffinglike pudding. Inspired by traditional skillet corn bread, this recipe works as a side or as a meatless main served with a salad or garlicky sauteed kale.

My My’s Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Patty’s grandmother sifted together the flour and baking powder three times before adding them to the batter. We had good results just whisking them together. This recipe comes from Patty Pinner's cookbook Sweets (crownpublishing.com).

Apple-Pear Praline Pie

This picture-perfect fall pie takes more than a flaky crust. "The key to this pie is the apples you use," says Mary Schrier of Cumberland, Iowa, who got this recipe from an old, handwritten family recipe book. She suggests not using Red Delicious apples. Instead, make this with Granny Smith, Jonathan or any sweet-tart heirloom apples.

Single-Serving Caramel Apples

Flaky pastry and baked apples become absolutely irresistible when combined with caramel and a hint of brown sugar in this fall recipe. Make these up to six hours ahead of your meal and cover with plastic wrap so the pastry doesn't dry out. Bake while the coffee brews!

Miner's Beef Stew

In Branson, Missouri, guests dine on this favorite fall stew at Silver Dollar City's Lucky Silver Mine Restaurant, while others learn how to make it at the park's Culinary & Craft School. The meat slow-cooks for fork-tender results.

Sweet Potato-Cranberry Cake

Chocolate and sweet potato batters are swirled together to make this moist, tender spice cake from Patricia Polley of Columbus, Ohio. Wrap and store the cooled cake overnight for easier slicing. (It’s a great alternative to coffee cake for brunches.)

Danish Pastry Apple Bars

One of her students shared this fall recipe long ago with Gail Michael of West Lafayette, Indiana. "These were in the lunch box of one of my first-grade students in the fall of 1974," Gail recalls. She's baked many batches of these apple bars since then. It's like apple pie in a baking pan.

Pumpkin-Banana Bread

Lisa Johnson of Gardner, Kansas, added banana to pumpkin bread for a new twist on this quintessential fall treat. "This pumpkin bread is a favorite with our family," she says. "It's easy to make, and my two girls enjoy helping me."

Chipotle Black Bean Chili

Inspired by traditional Mexican mole, this hearty vegetarian chili includes a touch of chocolate to add depth. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce give a rich smokiness to this fall recipe. If you like, you can save half the chili to make Stacked Black Bean Enchilada Pie.

Multigrain Apple Streusel Muffins

Rise and shine! These tender gems taste so good, you’d never guess we bumped up the fiber in this fall recipe with two kinds of whole grains and traded most of the butter for applesauce and buttermilk.

Hearty Minestrone Soup

Susan Corley of New Albany, Ohio, shared her version of the classic Italian soup in New Albany Cooking with Friends, a cooking club project that took regional honors in the 2007 Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards. Susan often slow-cooks a pot of the soup for family meals during the holidays.

Steel-Cut Oatmeal Heaven

Why steel-cut oats? This chunky oatmeal has a nuttier flavor and chewier texture than if it used rolled oats. Other heavenly ingredients in this fall recipe include dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, crumbled bacon and a drizzle of honey.

Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

Mix a can of cream of chicken soup, mushrooms, veggies and rice mix for the soup base. Any boneless cooked chicken works in this slow-cooker recipe, but chicken thighs, with more moisture from fat, cook the best.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Potato, bacon and cheese - all the flavors you love in a bowl of soup! The American cheese keeps the soup from curdling while it slow cooks. Mashing cooked potatoes a bit gives it some body, while the bacon adds a smoky-salty taste to this fall soup.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken

Cranberry sauce combined with tapioca and onion soup simmers to perfection in this five-ingredient main dish recipe, a slow-cooker version of an oven classic. Serve over white rice to complete the fall meal.

Hot Dog-Hamburger Secret Sauce and Cranberry-Orange Relish

Joan Wagner of Overland Park, Kansas, contributed the Hot Dog-Hamburger Secret Sauce recipe. "My two sons, Chris and Ken, gave this recipe the name 'secret sauce' because no one guessed what was in it," Joan says. It's a nice balance of sweet and tangy.

Bacon-Cheddar Cheese Balls

Freshly shredded cheese works better than packaged shredded cheese in a cheese ball. Prepare the cheese mixture the night before so flavors have a chance to blend. Shape and roll in the crumbled bacon or pistachio nuts a few hours before serving.